Love Hotel
by kazenoyouni
Summary: Every day was boring, but things were starting to look a little better... SasuNaru
1. one

I'm depressed. Really, really depressed.

The only thing helping right now is writing, though this has actually been written for a while (but it's not finished). So I'll work on this. I may or may not post the next part soon. Depends on just how depressed I am tomorrow. Or if anyone even likes this one.

I'm sure no one cares about my rambling, so I'll stop. Here you go. A new story. Didn't give the summary much thought, but huh, ironic. Maybe I'll do something about that when I'm not... whatever.

Warnings: nothing I can think of right now

* * *

I guess we'll call this chapter one

He sat slouched over the counter, just staring off into the distance. He wasn't asleep, though it had been a long day. Just like every day- get up, go to school, then come here. No club, at least, but having a 'part-time job' made for some very un-fun afternoons.

He sighed, his eyes still glued vacantly to the wall.

It was getting hot. It was nice and cool in here, but closer to the door he could feel the summer heat struggling to make its way in. And this was a small room, so he wasn't that far from the door no matter where he was. But for all of the slackerishness his grandfather displayed, he at least kept up the payments on the utilities here. This was his place of business, after all, the place he had worked hard to get set up for himself.

Even if he did leave it to Naruto to care for while he went off gadding all over the country to who knows what places.

Naruto sighed again.

Seriously, who leaves a teenager in charge of a love hotel?

He sat up and blinked at the screens before him.

There were six of them, all lined up neatly. None were of inside, of course, this was a love hotel, but rather they were of the perimeter and the roof. One even showed the view just outside the door behind Naruto where the heat continued its assault on the door to make its way inside.

You couldn't tell, looking at them, who went into the love hotel. But you could tell who passed by, and if anyone 'suspicious' was lingering.

Despite it being a love hotel, or maybe because it was, it was a respectable sort of place. Not that Naruto knew what sorts of people actually patronized the place, but he knew his grandfather, heard some of the conversations he had. He'd give 'friends' discounts, and those friends could be surprisingly influential people.

He'd never understand how that happened, when his grandfather was such a flake.

But that meant keeping an eye on 'suspicious' sorts who could be seen on those security cameras, which was pretty much what Naruto's job entailed.

He stood and stretched, his eyes falling on his bag haphazardly thrown on the floor by his chair.

He should do homework, but he didn't really want to.

Blue eyes drifted back to the monitors, scanning them over before he decided how he'd rather waste his time.

But then some movement on one caught his eye, and he focused in on it.

That one, the camera just outside the entranceway that led to the front door. From that spot, you could go across the street at the crosswalk towards the more high-end part of town, or go off north to the main part of the city, or you could go around the corner in the direction of the convenience store and Naruto's high school, Konohagakuen. Or you could walk discreetly along a row of hedges and to the entrance of this building, where you could make your choice of stylish or fantastic themed rooms to share with a, ahem, _friend_ ('extras' available for an additional fee).

And it was in this particular screen an increasingly familiar sight presented itself.

It seemed to happen almost every day now. Naruto, whose job it was to pay attention to these monitors, couldn't help but notice the attractive young man wearing the elite Oto Academy uniform. He stood tall, a hand in his pocket, the other by his side, his leather bag slung over one shoulder. His hair stood up in the back, weird, but kinda stylish in a way.

Not far from him, a girl with glasses in the same school's uniform was pleading with him. She would point in the direction Naruto knew the love hotel was in, occasionally grabbing for the young man's arm to 'encourage' him in the desired direction.

Even though the camera wasn't particularly close-up, even Naruto could see the scowl on the guy's face at the girl's continued insistence. She clearly wanted to spend some _alone_ time with him, and he clearly wanted to get as far away from her as possible as quickly as possible.

He pulled his arm back, said something to her that clearly made her unhappy, and she went for him again. He stepped back, his scowl intensifying. He said something else, she made another dramatic gesture. The guy turned to leave, only to be pulled back again.

Naruto laughed.

It was funny, watching them. The girl had been after this guy for a good couple of weeks, and it was obvious even to Naruto she wasn't being discreet at all. It was also incredibly obvious the guy wasn't even remotely interested.

Which was kinda odd, Naruto thought. The girl was pretty enough. Not like Haruno Sakura, the girl at Naruto's school he had been pining after for years, but not bad. He didn't know why the guy was so adamantly against it, but it was always good entertainment.

Because in the end, the guy always managed to pull back, and head over the crosswalk toward the most expensive homes in Konoha. And it would all repeat again the next day.

Naruto had to wonder a little, if the girl got her way, would the scene repeat again the next day, or was one time all she wanted?

The guy was good-looking, even Naruto had to agree with that, probably better looking than any guy he had ever seen. Like a model, maybe even more handsome, then, too. He probably had tons of girls after him.

Maybe he refused because he had a girl. Or maybe he'd had this one already, and didn't feel the need to have a 'repeat'.

Naruto didn't know. Despite working in a love hotel, he himself had never had a need for these sorts of services.

He sighed for the third time as the guy finally managed to make his escape from the girl. He headed across the crosswalk and she huffily turned the corner, casting one last longing look at his back.

"Lucky jerk," Naruto muttered. He'd never been the kind girls sought after. He had really only even had eyes for Haruno Sakura, but no girl ever looked at him with anything but irritation or disgust. Especially when it got out his grandfather owned a love hotel, and Naruto worked there in his free time.

That turned out to be a guaranteed love life killer.

Well, not that he'd had one before that.

Now that the show was over, he picked up his bag, pulled out his books and his notebook and pen, and began his homework.

The only reason his grandmother allowed him to work here- it was so boring he actually did his homework.

He snickered at the memory of his grandmother nearly sending his grandfather to the hospital when she'd found out the old pervert had roped him into this job.

"You damn old fart, what do you think you're doing, forcing the brat to work in such a place! He's just a brat! You can't have him work at a love hotel!"

The veins were popping on her forehead as she shook him from his collar. Naruto could almost see him giving up the ghost as he was shaken like a rag doll.

But this was serious business to him, too. "Tsunade, it'll be… good experience… for the brat…" he managed.

"Good experience? What kind of 'good experience' are you trying to give my innocent little brat!"

"Ehh, baa-chan…" Naruto had tried to interrupt. "I'm not a little kid, you know." Personally, he hadn't cared all that much, either way. It was extra money. He could buy all the ramen he wanted.

"You stay out of this!" she shrieked, more veins popping as she lifted the old man with one hand.

Naruto inched back. The old hag was crazy strong, and he knew when to give up and let his grandfather take the beating. He could deal. It was on more than one occasion Naruto'd have to visit his crazy ero-sennin grandfather at the hospital after getting baa-chan upset.

"Don't worry," he'd say, giving a weak thumbs up, big grin on his face despite the black swollen eyes and busted lips, body casts and bandages. "I got to enjoy that nice body enough to have a kid. It's totally worth it."

And then…

"He's grades have improved," Jiraiya managed to croak out.

"Eh?" She dropped him, and he landed in an inelegant heap on the floor. He stood, dusting himself off, trying to look for all the world like he hadn't just been on the verge of death. Well, he was used to near-death experiences with Tsunade by now. "Yup. His grades have improved! He's doing his homework, studying! All that good biz!"

She frowned, then turned her fierce golden eyes to her beloved grandson. "Naruto? That true?"

He managed a nervous smile, wondering if she was going to turn that crazy strength and ferocious temper on him. He decided to go the safest path and pulled a crumbled up wad of scribbled on paper out of his bag, handing it over hesitantly.

She uncrinkled it, looked it over.

"Huh, well, would you look at that. The brat got a decent grade for once!"

"And they've been steadily improving, ever since I gave him the job!" Jiraiya flinched as she turned her glare back on him. "It's win-win, Tsunade! He gets a paycheck to fill his gluttonous belly with ramen, and we get to see his grades improve because he's bored out of his mind and desperate enough to study!"

"Well," she frowned, trying to decide if it was really worth it to subject her innocent grandson to such things. But then, she had to justify Naruto was dense, too. "Tch, fine. He can work. But any hint of anything remotely indecent happening in his vicinity and it ends." The fierce glare returned to the trembling mess of perverted grandfather, who judiciously shrunk back at the dangerous glint. "And _you_ end, got that?"

He nodded frantically, and Naruto found himself doing the same.

So here he was, being the studious student because he was so bored out of his mind he actually found homework worth doing.

He let his head bang onto the desk. "Ugh, this sucks. I want rame~n."


	2. two

First of all, thanks for all the reviews and encouragement. Life still sucks, but those helped.

Second, sorry this one is super short, but I'm dreading tomorrow more than words can describe. I could have combined with the next one, but decided this way was probably better. To make up for it, and because I can't imagine tomorrow not being yet another day I end up depressed and in tears, I'll post that one up tomorrow.

(I'm off from work today)

Warnings: eh, nothing really

* * *

chapter two I suppose

A knock brought his attention back from the scribbling he was doing on his worksheet page. Some of the markings were the work of a student dutifully answering problems, the rest was mindless doodles of ramen and foxes and random swirls.

Naruto looked up, glancing at the door, then turned his attention to the clock. "Ah, shit!" He stood, then opened the door.

Haku stood there, smiling patiently. A first year in college, prettier than a man really had any right to be, he worked part-time, covering the cameras at night. "Good afternoon, Naruto-kun."

"Ah, Haku nii-san! Sorry, sorry, totally lost track of time!"

"Homework that much fun?" Haku asked as he stepped into the room.

Naruto scowled. "Hell no." He sighed, and shut the door behind him. "But it does make the hours pass."

"Mm, hm," Haku nodded. The older boy took the seat in front of the monitors, pushing Naruto's things out of the way, but not before glancing down at the artwork scrawled over the pages. "I see you were quite industrious this afternoon."

"Heheh," Naruto flushed, scratching at the back of his head. "Well, gotta make do somehow, right?"

Haku laughed lightly, then turned back to the monitors, settling into the seat to make himself more comfortable for the night ahead.

Naruto sighed again, then gathered up his things and made his way to the only other door in the small room. This one was far in the corner, nearly hidden behind a precariously balanced stack of boxes Jiraiya had left behind on previous visits, of which contents Naruto was determined he never wanted to know.

He maneuvered around them and pulled the door open, then stepped into the room. "'Night, Haku nii-san," he called, waving as Haku turned and waved back, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Good night, Naruto-kun."

Naruto shut the door behind him and dropped his bag by the door. It was late, and he made his way to another part of the room where a door led to a bathroom. He paused to pull out some clean underwear and his pajamas, then headed in for a bath.

It was a convenient place, this room, and it had become habit, during the week, to treat it as a sort of 'home away from home'. Jiraiya had the room made for his infrequent visits to Konoha, since he spent so much time traveling. Rather than have an apartment somewhere vacant for most of the year, this worked for him much better. And when he wasn't in town, it was a convenient place for Naruto to use.

Since he worked from end of school to night, it was easier just to crash here than to go to Tsunade's apartment. Safer, too, since it was often really late his shift ended, and it was safer than going out into the dark streets at this hour.

Once nice and clean, and clothed in pajama-y goodness, he made his way to the closet and pulled out the futon and blankets and pillow, and set up his bed on the tatami flooring. He yawned and crawled in, ready to drift off before yet another day of school and work.

As he drifted off, he wondered again about that attractive Oto student. He thought about Haku nii-san, who he knew, though it was never really spoken of, that Haku nii-san liked men. One of the 'bonuses' of working at Jiraiya's love hotel was free use of the rooms, which Naruto was aware Haku took advantage of.

He had seen the man once. A big, muscular man, a bit older than Haku himself. Naruto thought he was a teacher at Haku's school, but he wasn't sure. But Naruto had seen them together, standing under the cameras, and they headed in a direction which could have been into the hotel or along the hedge way to a café or the park. It was only because Haku had indicated using a room Naruto knew where they had gone.

It was weird, to think of being attracted to another male. When he'd first heard about it from Jiraiya, he had thought Jiraiya was just being his usual perverted self. Haku nii-san had never made any indication about it. He was a private sort of person.

But Haku knew Naruto knew, and he never tried to deny it.

And when Naruto thought about it more, it actually, weird as it was, made a sort of sense. Haku had a gentleness, a feminism, that seemed more likely to attract other males than females. It was something Haku had muttered once, that Naruto wasn't sure he was actually supposed to hear. He couldn't now even remember what the context of the statement had been.

"Girls don't tend to like boys prettier than themselves."

Naruto shifted in bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

He could picture that, girls avoiding someone like Haku because he was prettier than they were. He was prettier than Haruno Sakura even.

And then Naruto thought again about the Oto student.

He turned again, pulling his blankets up higher. Why the Oto student had anything to do with Haku nii-san he didn't know. Maybe, he wondered, Haku would think the Oto student was attractive, too. If he were to see the dashing young elite, would he show interest in him? And then Naruto wondered, did the Oto student get propositions from boys as well as girls?

In his mind's eye, he could picture a pretty, slim boy in the Oto uniform tugging on the handsome elite's sleeve, the way the girl had, trying to entice him into the hotel.

Naruto frowned, and sat up. His thoughts were really weird, and he shook his head clear.

He was curious about the guy, but he was an Oto elite. Those sorts would likely never give someone like Naruto a second thought. He shook his head again and lay back down.

Another long day tomorrow, and he drifted off to sleep.


	3. three

So.

Today wasn't as awful as I was expecting. I was able to vent to a coworker, and that helped considerably. Things still aren't 'good', but they aren't quite at 'dissolve into tears at the drop of a hat' anymore.

And since I promised, here's the next chapter. This one cheers me up a lot!

And again, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed. Thank you so much!

Warnings: eh heh heh... language?

Incidentally, this is the part the story idea initially sprang up from.

* * *

let's say this is chapter three

He yawned loudly, his eyes going to the clock on one of the monitors in front of him. It was about time, he thought, for the daily show to start.

Naruto hadn't slept too well the night before, and he had spent the day yawning. His friends, Kiba and Shikamaru and Chouji and Shino (though mostly Kiba), had been giving him a hard time about it all day, but he ignored them. It couldn't be helped. He was a busy person, of course he'd wear himself out.

He blinked at one of the monitors as the attractive elite came into view. Naruto grinned at the obvious scowl on his face, sitting up in his seat ready to watch the show begin.

And then there she was, the same girl with glasses, saying something and pointing in the direction of the hotel's entrance. The young man pointedly ignored her, but she put herself in front of him, blocking him from leaving.

He said something, and Naruto wondered what it was. By his expression, it was probably something cutting.

But the girl didn't seem to mind. With an almost absurd level of enthusiasm she spoke, again pointing toward the entrance of the love hotel, her body twisting as she continued to speak. Naruto glanced at the guy, noting the popping veins. Whatever she was saying, the guy didn't like it at all. Naruto laughed.

The girl moved to tug on the guy's sleeve again, but he pulled away just in time, leaving the girl hopping inelegantly. Again Naruto laughed, just as the guy attempted to make his escape. Unfortunately for him, the girl caught him, pulling him back and steadying herself in one go.

Naruto shifted. His eyes fell on the attractive boy's face. The picture was small, but even he could tell the guy looked worn out.

From the girl? From attending an elite school? Something else?

And suddenly, Naruto felt a little bad for him. He really seemed to want to get away, but she seemed especially persistent today.

He watched a moment longer, then had a crazy idea. He knew it was stupid, but he was always being told he was stupid anyway, so… why not?

He jumped up, quickly opening a drawer he normally avoided at all costs and pulled something out, tucking it into the belt of his pants, hidden between his untucked and unbuttoned white school shirt and orange t-shirt, opened the door and made his way out into the heat.

It really was hot, and he stuck his tongue out in irritation at the oppressive heat and humidity as he moved through the back alley and onto the main street, coming out on the convenience store side. He turned left toward the corner, and paused as it came into view.

And there they were.

The girl had red hair (something he couldn't tell in the black and white monitors), and the guy seemed an even more striking figure outside of the screen. He was tall and lean, and the contrast of the black suit uniform with his dark hair and pale skin really did wonders for him.

Naruto stopped a moment, before finally taking another step forward. It really was stupid, but he couldn't help but wonder what the guy's reaction would be. Or the girl's.

Well, no one had ever said Naruto didn't like a good prank.

He picked up the pace, and just before getting to them, he tripped over his own feet and tumbled forward, crashing inelegantly into the girl and knocking her bag over to spill its contents all over the cement.

"Ah, shit! Sorry, sorry!" he cried out, picking himself up and hastily helping her gather her things back up.

She glared at him, and he forced a fake smile to his face. "It was an accident," he said.

"Stupid! Watch where you're going!" she barked at him. Then she seemed to notice his uniform, and her stare turned haughty. "Oh, you're from Konoha Gakuen. I guess stupid is about right then."

Naruto forced down the twitch in his eye. He might not be the smartest guy around, but he wasn't a complete moron, and that didn't mean everyone at Konoha Gakuen was a loser. Sure, they weren't super rich like the Oto students, but they weren't a bunch of poor chumps either. There was nothing wrong with being a Konoha Gakuen student.

"Tch," he heard, and looking up, Naruto finally got a close up view of the guy's face.

And damn, he was seriously hot.

Quickly he looked away, forcing his gaze back down to continue helping the girl pick up her makeup and notebooks and pens. She forcefully grabbed a compact out of his hands, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Really sorry," he said again. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She huffed, stuffing her things back in her bag. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun." She turned to the handsome teen behind her. "Once I get my things back together, we'll continue our conversation."

She glared again at the blond, and Naruto forced his eyes away from the handsome boy back to the irritating girl. He could kind of see, now, why the guy didn't want anything to do with her. He gathered a couple more pens and handed them to her, then reached down to bring up the next dropped item.

His eyes went wide as he held it out to her. Her hand grabbed it in her irritation, but she glared when he didn't let go.

"Wow. Do all Oto girls carry dildos in their bags?"

She froze, and the guy, 'Sasuke-kun' apparently, was suddenly paying attention, dark clear obsidian eyes locking on to the dildo Naruto had just handed the girl.

She gaped at it, and Naruto let go, leaving her standing in the middle of the street with a dildo firmly clasped in her hand. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much difficulty trying not to laugh, especially as a couple passed by, muttering to each other.

It was one of those moments, Naruto thought, where a rush of wind suddenly blows, scattering leaves dramatically over the three, as they all stand there frozen.

The girl finally unfroze. "W-Wh-wh-what the-"

Naruto caught the guy snicker, then he cleared his throat. "Really, Karin. I don't think that's very becoming of an Oto student. I'll have to report that."

"No! Sasuke-kun, it's not mine! It's not! It's-" She cut herself off, then turned to the blond, still kneeling on the ground to keep from doubling over in laughter. "YOU-" she screeched.

Naruto put on his best innocent look, the one that let him get away with eating ten bowls of ramen when Tsunade had demanded he eat vegetables. "What? Me?" He tilted his head to the side cutely. "What did I do?" He tilted it the other way, scrunching his brows in confusion. "All I did was try to help you pick up your stuff. Did I do something wrong?"

Her face was almost as red as her hair, and she didn't seem able to get another word out. She seemed to hit her limit then, he could almost see steam erupting from the top of her head, and she stormed off, leaving the two still at the corner.

Naruto stood, blinking after her for a moment. "Heh. She's still holding the dildo."

And he couldn't hold it anymore. He burst into near hysterical laughter. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. Tears were starting to stream from the corners of his eyes, and he was having a hard time getting air in around the laughter.

Several long moments passed, and finally he was gasping for air more than laughing, and he finally managed to stand properly again.

"Ah, man, that was great. Gotta tell Kiba." He pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Hn. I'll admit, that was good."

"Eh?" Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, turning to see the handsome Oto student still standing there.

"You certainly enjoyed your little prank. She may never come down this street again."

"Ah, you think so?" Naruto asked, scratching at his cheek, fighting down a slight flush. "That's too bad."

"I am curious. Where exactly did you come by a dildo?" The Oto student looked him up and down, a curious lift to his brow.

"Eh? Oh. My grandfather owns this place," and Naruto indicated in the direction of the love hotel. "That stuff comes pretty standard. Or, well, technically, they're for a 'small additional fee'."

He put his phone back in his pocket, dusting himself off. "And I gotta get back to work. I hope she does come down the street again, it's been fun." He started walking, tossing back a wave as he went. It wasn't until after he'd turned the corner to get into the back alley that led to the back door that he realized the guy was following him.

Naruto stopped and turned, looking at the guy curiously. It was now he noticed there was a slight height difference in the guy's favor, and again he noticed the guy was really good-looking. He fought down another flush, and pulled up his usual indignance instead. "Eh, why are you following me?"

The guy looked around. "You work around here?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Doing what exactly?"

"Er, why do you wanna know?"

"Call it intellectual curiosity."

"Eh, call it what now?"

"Tch." The guy shifted, smirking at the blond. "I didn't think Konoha Gakuen students were morons, but you might prove me wrong."

And Naruto bristled. "Hey, jerk, what do you expect when some weird guy starts stalking me!"

"I'm not stalking you. I'm merely attempting to discern your place of occupation."

Okay, so the guy was really freaking smokin' hot, but he was apparently a total asshole, too! Naruto scowled at him. "If you're trying to piss me off-"

"Is it here?" the guy asked, pointing at the door to the back room. "What do you do?"

"Hey, what's with all the freaking questions, bastard? You haven't even had the decency to introduce yourself, and you go off-"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked at him.

"My name. I'm introducing myself. I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto wasn't sure what to do now, just blinking at the guy in confusion, and again, that weird warmth was creeping back into his face.

He finally knew the guy's name.

Naruto looked away. "Oh, uh. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"So is this where you work?" Again, Uchiha indicated the door.

Naruto nodded a bit vacantly, still trying to piece together what the heck was going on. But before he could figure it out, Uchiha moved, opening the door and letting himself in. In his rush, Naruto hadn't relocked it.

Oops. His grandfather would have a fit if he ever found out.

"Ah, hey! You can't do that!" Naruto rushed in after him, feeling the intense heat in his face as he found himself practically pressed against the guy in the small back room. But the guy was too busy looking around to notice. He moved further in, letting his bag drop close to where Naruto's rested, his eyes on the cameras.

"Spying, huh. Is that legal?"

"It's not spying," Naruto defended. "See?" he pointed. "You can't see who goes in."

"Hn." The guy leaned in, looking into each of the monitors.

Naruto frowned, still not sure what was going on, but too tired to keep thinking about it. It had been a long day, and while that prank had been fun and totally worth it, all that laughing had left him drained. He yawned, then collapsed into his chair.

"So what do you do here exactly?"

Naruto shrugged. "Nothing much. Pretty much keep a look-out, make sure no one suspicious is hanging around."

"But you can't tell who goes in."

"That's not what we're concerned about. Some important people use this place, so gotta make sure no one who might try to blackmail them or whatever is hanging around. Something like that."

"Hm. Interesting."

"Is it?" Naruto yawned again. "Doesn't sound like much to me. Boring as hell. To the point _homework_ is more fun."

The guy smirked. Naruto shifted in the chair, glancing back at the screens.

"So you just sit here, watching us?"

"It's my job to watch."

"Right. So you admit you watch us."

Naruto shifted again. "Can't help it if I notice you two every day." He flushed again, and he was glad the room was kind of dark.

"That so."

Naruto rubbed his nose nervously, glancing at Uchiha still standing there, looking around.

"Hey, can I ask, why do you keep turning her down? I mean, I know it's none of my business, but she's cute enough."

A brow rose on Uchiha's face. "So you really do _watch_."

Naruto turned away. "I can't help it. It's boring here. You two provide some entertainment. You not gonna answer my question? She wants you to go into the hotel with her, right? So why not?"

"Tch, because I'm not a penis with money bags attached."

"Hm? That's not 'money_ balls'_?" Naruto snickered.

Uchiha glared. "Idiot."

Naruto laughed. "Seriously, though," he asked again. "If you can, why not?"

"Why not indeed."

"I know a bunch of guys that'd jump at any chance they can get. Don't really care who it's with."

"Hn. Well, I care."

"Do you?" Naruto leaned back in the chair. "Well, I guess if you're someone who can have anyone they want, I can understand that. You can afford to be picky."

Uchiha shifted, crossing his arms and looking thoroughly irritated. "That's not it. I just have high standards. I won't waste my time on someone who can't live up to those standards."

Naruto blinked at him. Good-looking, rich, of course, he would have options. And he _would_ have high standards. Somehow, he felt a little disappointed. "Must be nice."

"What's that mean?" Uchiha asked.

Naruto shrugged. "What do you think, Mr. Super-elite? Unlike you, I don't have loads of options. I've only ever been interested in one girl, but she's never been interested in me. No one's ever been interested in me. The fact my grandfather owns a love hotel, and I work at it, doesn't help. Though," he glanced at Uchiha. "She'd probably go for you. She might even fit your high standards. She's really pretty."

"Hn, I doubt it. I've never met anyone who matched my standards."

"Heh, prick."

Uchiha glared. "I don't have any problem with that. I have better uses of my time than screwing." He looked around the room. "Though I suppose you depend on people who do spend all their time screwing."

Naruto shrugged. "This paycheck does feed my ramen obsession." He grinned.

"Hn."

Naruto shifted again in the chair, his eyes going to the screens in front of him before turning back to Uchiha, who was once more looking around the room, this time his eyes on the stack of boxes by the door.

"So, uh, how long you plan on hanging around here?"

"Until I'm sure the coast is clear."

"Hm?" Naruto giggled again at his prank. "With that dildo, I wouldn't think she'd want to be seen around here again."

"Tch, shows what you know."

"Wants you that bad, huh?" Naruto laughed. "Well, whatever. I gotta work." He turned back to the monitors, trying to ignore the presence of the guy behind him, then pulled up his bag and pulled out his school work.

"So when you said 'work', you meant 'homework'."

"I can do both."

"Really think you'll catch anyone suspicious if you don't pay attention?"

"Anyone suspicious is someone who hangs around too long. They're obvious."

"So you say."

Naruto pointedly ignored him and began to go through his homework, occasionally glancing up at the monitors as he usually did. He had almost forgotten the guy was still there when a phone rang. It wasn't a familiar tone, so Naruto scowled at the monitors before turning back to Uchiha as he answered.

"Nii-san."

It was a small, quiet room, so Naruto could vaguely hear a man's voice saying something.

"So I'm late getting home, I'm not a kid."

The man on the phone said something else, and Uchiha glared at the wall.

"You don't need to act like a concerned parent. I have the right to go somewhere else after school."

More mumbles coming from the other end of the line.

"What does it matter? I do occasionally have a life outside of home and school."

This time, Naruto could swear he heard the guy on the phone laughing. Judging by Uchiha's scary glare, he figured that must be what it was. He was also pretty sure if it didn't end soon, Uchiha was going to burn a hole into the wall.

"Tch, fine. I'm coming home now. I hope you drop dead before I get there."

The laughing continued until Uchiha hung up.

"Sounds like you have to go?" Naruto grinned.

"Tch." Uchiha picked up his bag and opened the door.

"Nice hanging out with you, Uchiha. Let's do this again sometime," Naruto said cheekily.

Uchiha glanced back at him, his irritation still showing. "Hn."

The door shut resoundingly behind him, and Naruto sighed.


	4. four

Well, here's hoping this month doesn't suck epically.

Glad you all enjoyed the prank last chapter. I've reread it numerous times since I wrote it, and I still find it hilarious.

And again, thank you for all the reviews and support. I really, really appreciate it.

warnings: super short (sorry)

Not sure when I'll post the next chapter. If not sooner, I guess let's expect next Friday?

* * *

chapter four, I guess

Was it weird? It was probably weird. After meeting Uchiha Sasuke, being allowed to talk to him, hear his voice, see his expressions up close, Naruto hadn't been able to stop thinking about him.

And that was definitely weird, right?

He sighed, slumping over his desk, blue eyes fixed on the board at the front of the classroom. His dreams had been filled with Uchiha Sasuke, and though they were fuzzy, he knew Uchiha was a prominent figure. His mind kept replaying their conversation the day before (if it could really be considered a conversation), and he kept wondering more and more about him.

And he wondered if he would pass under the camera again today.

The door to the classroom opened and a couple of girls walked in, their cheerful voices carrying over the other casual conversations going on in the room. One said something, the other giggled, and they made their way together to the closest of their desks where they could comfortably continue their conversation until class began.

A few of the boys in the room glanced at the girls as they continued their own conversations, some of the girls murmured to themselves, others moved to join the two.

Naruto meanwhile, continued to stare vacantly at the board.

"That's rare," he heard Kiba's voice say from above him. Blue eyes glanced up, then moved back to the board.

"What is."

"Haruno just walked into the room, but you're not staring stupidly at her."

"I don't stare stupidly."

"You do, too. And everyone knows it."

"Whatever."

Kiba placed himself in the seat beside the blond. "So? Something happen?"

"Hm? Not really."

"Ehhh? You're acting really weird today."

Naruto shrugged.

Kiba shifted in his borrowed seat. "So? How's work going?"

A few of the nearby girls glanced in their direction, looks of disgust crossing their faces before moving further away.

"Eh, you know."

Kiba frowned. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you today?"

Naruto sat up and scowled at him. "Nothing is wrong! But I did pull this incredibly awesome prank yesterday." Naruto grinned, then spilled the story, and soon Kiba was bent over cackling hysterically.

"Oh, shit! She seriously stormed off with a dildo in her hand? Classic!"

"Wonder if she realized she was still holding it. Might not have figured it out until she got home."

Kiba roared with laughter.

The girls nearby glared at them, but neither noticed.

"That was good," Kiba grinned, coming out of his most recent laughing fit.

Naruto nodded, before his thoughts once more turned to Uchiha. It had been so strange, spending that whole afternoon so close to him, able to speak with him. And he wondered again, would Uchiha pass by his cameras again? Now that Uchiha was aware Naruto was watching, why would he?

"Something else happen?" Kiba asked, seriousness once more taking over after getting control of his laughing fit.

"Hm? I told you, it's nothing. There was just some guy with that girl."

Kiba looked confused. "So?"

"Nothing! See? So drop it!"

Kiba looked skeptical another moment, then shrugged. "Whatever, blondie."

Naruto sighed again, shifting restlessly in his seat. Finally he seemed to notice what Kiba had said, that Haruno had walked in. And now that he actually looked, he saw her.

Pretty, smart, wealthy Haruno Sakura. Well-known as the most attractive girl in the whole school. Boys would line up for the chance to go out with her. Naruto would have, before.

It was kind of weird, now that he looked at her, he wasn't feeling that usual 'infatuation'. It was a weird feeling, almost comparable to a sort of jealousy. Not a jealousy for whatever guy she was currently seeing, but different.

And he thought of that girl again, 'Karin' he thought Uchiha had said. And then again, Uchiha crossed his mind. There was no doubt Haruno would go after Uchiha. There was no way she'd not want him. Just like that Karin girl, Haruno would probably try to pull him into the love hotel.

Naruto bit his lip. Again, he wondered if he'd be able to see Uchiha again in the camera screen.


	5. five

Well.

Things have been going okay-ish. We'll see how long that lasts.

I'm not sure how much more of this I have. I'm stuck at the point I stopped, but I'll keep trying so I can update consistently. The reviews help :)

Warnings: You know, I kinda feel like giving warnings isn't really necessary. I mean, what do you expect when you read something titled 'love hotel'? (lol) But if you want them, I'll continue (lol) Oh, nothing much in this one. language maybe

* * *

so that makes this chapter five?

Naruto wasn't really sure what to say, what was going on. He had just arrived as usual to the love hotel, ready to spend another dull afternoon staring vacantly into space or doing homework. But this wasn't shaping up to be a regular afternoon.

Sure, he had been hoping to see Uchiha pass under the cameras, but he wasn't expecting to come face to face with him, waiting at the door to the back entrance into the camera room.

"Wha-"

"Does it always take you this long to get here?" Uchiha asked.

"Uh…"

"It's your job, after all, isn't it?"

"Ah…"

"Coherent one, aren't you. The guy in there wouldn't let me in. So hurry up. It's hot out here."

Naruto continued to blink in confusion at the gorgeous Uchiha Sasuke standing irritably before him.

"Uzumaki."

"Eh? Oh!" Finally snapping out of it, and flushing frantically at the strangeness, Naruto finally moved forward to unlock and pull open the door.

He stepped into the cool room, Uchiha on his heels.

"Yo, Naruto."

"Ah, hey Kankurou."

"Who the hell is that guy?" Kankurou asked, pointing at Uchiha with a frown on his face.

"Oh, uh," Naruto glanced at Uchiha who seemed ready to make himself comfortable. "Um, a friend."

"Huh."

"All done for the day, Kankurou?" Naruto asked, trying his best to pretend Uchiha wasn't there. That was just too distracting.

"Yeah. Just waiting for Temari. Was a real mess in one of the rooms. She looked like she'd pass out from anger." He laughed, and Naruto shook his head.

"Better watch it, or you'll end up with another bruise," Naruto grinned, indicating the slowly healing black eye.

Kankurou fidgeted. "Yeah. Talk about an abusive sister."

Naruto laughed again. "And I'm totally trying to stay on her good side, so careful or I'll rat you out."

"Traitor." Kankurou grinned. But he stood and began gathering up his things. He glanced once more at the cameras and made his way out. "Tell her I'll be waiting at the usual place."

"Right," Naruto nodded.

Kankurou glanced at Uchiha one more time before taking his leave.

"Another camera watcher?" Uchiha asked after the door had closed, while the blond took up the now vacant seat in front of the screens.

Naruto scowled at him. "He and his sister Temari work day shifts. He watches the cameras, Temari-san cleans the rooms. The room-cleaning, due to the obvious risks (gross, you know?) pays more. Apparently, it's just them and their younger brother, so they work their asses off to support each other."

"Hn." Uchiha glanced around the room. "This place is really small."

Naruto glared at him again. "No one said you had to hang out here."

"Don't you at least have another chair?"

Naruto sighed, then rolled his chair back, indicating the hidden door. "Check in the room. Ero-sennin, my grandfather, keeps a spare in there somewhere."

A brow went up in curiosity and Uchiha moved toward the door, having not seen it before. He opened the door, and took a step back in surprise.

"There's a room back here?"

"Yup. I sleep there sometimes. I can end up working pretty late. Baa-chan feels better if I'm not leaving here at random super-late hours."

"Huh, interesting." Uchiha stepped into the room, and Naruto took a deep breath, then proceeded to get his things set up.

Uchiha soon reappeared with a chair in hand, and he set it beside the blond.

Naruto glanced at him as he made himself comfortable, then pulled out his own homework and set to work, seemingly ready to pretend Naruto wasn't there. Naruto frowned at him, then shifted and turned his attention back to the monitors and his own homework.

The handle of the door to the outside rattled and opened, and Temari-san poked her head in. "You here, Naruto?"

"Ah, yeah, hey Temari-san."

Her gaze fell on Uchiha, who barely spared her a glance.

"Who's the hottie?" she asked.

Naruto fidgeted. "He's a friend." He glanced at Uchiha, wondering if he'd take offense to being referred to as a friend so often. "Anyway, Kankurou said he'd be waiting at the usual spot."

She nodded. "Alright. See you then."

"Un! Have a good evening!" Naruto waved and she set off.

Naruto glanced at Uchiha again.

"Um…"

"Friend, huh?" he commented.

"Sorry. Didn't know what else to say."

Uchiha glanced up, a smirk on his handsome face, then returned to his homework.

Naruto wasn't sure what that look had meant, but Uchiha hadn't commented that he didn't like the 'friend' thing, so he shrugged, turning his attention back to his own homework and the monitors.

After a while of silence, he glanced again at the handsome elite out of the corner of his eye. He was still wondering about his presence here. "A-Anyway," Naruto mumbled. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Uchiha didn't look up, but replied, "You're the one who invited me."

"Eh? I did? When did I do that?"

"I quote 'Nice hanging out with you. Let's do this again sometime'. Said just yesterday, idiot."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. Not that Naruto opposed, but Uchiha had actually taken his sarcasm seriously? Did he not get sarcasm?

"Er, you know I was kidding, right?"

"I chose to ignore that."

Naruto scowled, letting his pen drop onto the desk. "Bastard! You just take what you want and ignore the rest?"

"Now you're getting it."

Naruto's face went red.

"And anyway, this place is convenient. It's comfortable, quiet, and hidden. No one would expect me to be spending my time in a Love Hotel backroom. And no one will dare follow me in. Or can. This works well for me."

Naruto didn't know what to say to all of that,so instead he turned back to his homework. Uchiha caused too many questions to float up in his mind, and it was just easier not to think about it. Much, much easier to just not think about it.

After a while of silence, Naruto startled. "Hey, she's here."

"What?" Uchiha looked up, then turned his attention to the monitors following Naruto's gaze.

"Ah."

The Karin girl was standing under the cameras, looking around, obviously trying to spot the attractive young man that was currently sitting in the camera room with Naruto.

"You two normally leave together, right?"

"Not 'together', just usually at the same time. Like most of the idiotic, irritating girls at my school, they wait. Tch."

"Ehh?" Naruto snickered. "So you really are popular, huh?"

Uchiha glared. "Not by choice."

Naruto leaned over, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Still, most guys would love to have your problems."

"Hn. They can have them then."

Naruto snickered. "You're kind of a jerk, you know?"

"Never said I wasn't."

Naruto scowled, then turned his attention back to the monitor. The girl was still standing there, looking around impatiently.

"So if they wait, how'd you manage to get away?" he asked curiously.

Uchiha smirked. "I have my ways."

"Huuuh," Naruto mused. Finally the girl on the monitor sighed, looked around one more time, and stormed off, and the corner on the screen was left empty.

The silence returned, and they resumed working on their homework. After a bit longer, Uchiha checked his phone and frowned.

"I have to go."

"Eh? Oh, okay."

Naruto watched as Uchiha stood and gathered up his things, then made his way out, not even bothering to toss back a wave or a 'good night'.

He continued to watch as the door slowly shut behind him, letting in the last of the sun's rays and revealing the growing darkness.

Naruto couldn't say he wasn't surprised. Uchiha had come, stayed silent, and now left, all of his own volition. Naruto had no idea what that was all about.

He sighed and went back to his homework.


	6. six

My cat couldn't jump straight into my lap, so she maneuvered her way in from behind. I feel loved ^_^

For some reason, this keyboard has decided not to acknowledge most of the keys that I press. Hmm... This chapter should be fine though. But it has been a long time since I've had a beta, so, yeah.

Also, I have no idea how long this story will be...

* * *

ummm, chapter six?

After that, Uchiha Sasuke had become a regular visitor. He'd arrive, generally before Naruto. He'd make himself comfortable, usually to do homework as Naruto worked. He'd sit there, in that same chair next to the blond, mostly ignoring his presence. Then, after an hour or two, he'd check his phone, gather his things, and leave.

In those times, there wasn't much conversation.

But even so, Naruto's mind was a muddled mess, and every day the tangled mess grew. He could understand Uchiha's reasoning, that much he got. It was his own reactions to Uchiha's presence that made him wonder.

The more time he spent with Uchiha, the more Uchiha filled his thoughts. Whether they were sitting beside each other or whether they were each in their different schools, Uchiha was on his mind. Naruto would find himself sitting in class, chin resting on his palm, wondering about Uchiha. Wondering what he was doing, what he looked like sitting in class, what the girls around him looked like, how close they managed to get to him.

He was a little glad, though he wasn't quite sure he was ready to admit to it, that Uchiha spent his afternoons with Naruto, even if not a word was said. It was still beside Naruto that he sat. Still with Naruto that he chose to be near, for hours, in his free time.

That made Naruto incredibly happy. He was gradually starting to dread the moment Uchiha would check his phone, and announce he had to leave. Naruto didn't want him to leave.

Naruto sighed, sliding further down his seat.

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

"It's a crush? Isn't it?" Haku nii-san had murmured.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked big blue eyes at the older boy.

Haku smiled his sweet smile in response.

Naruto had decided, really without properly thinking about it, to tell Haku nii-san that Uchiha Sasuke continued to fill his thoughts. It hadn't taken any thought on Naruto's part, because it had come up so naturally. Naruto had always had an easy time confiding in Haku nii-san, because Haku always asked just the right questions in just the right subtle way, that Naruto would find himself spilling things he wasn't even aware of until he said them. And he always listened carefully and offered insightful, helpful advice in return.

Really, out of everyone Naruto knew, Haku nii-san was really the only one Naruto could really confide in.

"A… crush?" Naruto turned the strange words over in his head again. The words weren't wholly unfamiliar, but it was Uchiha Sasuke Haku nii-san was saying those words were directed at. And that was the part that didn't quite make sense.

"But, I like Haruno Sakura. Uchiha's a dude." Naruto caught himself. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't like dudes."

Haku didn't take it the wrong way, his smile just grew slightly. "Perhaps, you've just never met a guy that suited your tastes. And as for Haruno-san, are you sure you still like her? Are you really, really sure, you ever did?"

"Ah…" Naruto was stumped again. These all seemed like topics that were way over the dense blond's head. Haku nii-san had a habit of doing that, too. Bringing up subjects and topics that couldn't quite properly manifest in the blond's brain. Things that didn't quite gel in his mind.

"There's really nothing wrong with it," Haku continued gently, leaning forward a bit, his dark eyes turning back to the monitors. Naruto's shift was over, and Haku's had started. It was when they were switching off the discussion had begun, and Naruto found himself sitting in the chair beside Haku nii-san Uchiha usually occupied. "Liking someone of your own gender. Love doesn't follow boundaries like that."

"L-love," Naruto repeated, flushing uncontrollably.

"Yes, love." His dark eyes seemed to not be seeing the monitors, and Naruto thought again about the tall, muscular man he had caught sight of with Haku. Was that what love looked like then? The way Haku nii-san looked at the burly, scary looking man? The way Haku nii-san looked right now, thinking of that man?

Naruto wondered. He thought over Haku's questions. Naruto's feelings for Uchiha, if they could be called that, the feelings he always thought he had for Haruno Sakura, the feelings he had known he had never had for any male.

But then, maybe Uchiha was just special?

That seemed to fit, once Naruto considered it. Uchiha was special; he _defined_ special.

Tall and slim and at least slightly fit, from what Naruto could tell. Handsome face, smooth complexion, beautiful endlessly dark eyes, shiny dark hair, thin lips almost always turned downward. It was completely undeniable he was handsome, hot, superbly delicious.

But that wasn't all. Uchiha was also smart and rich, both attested to by his status as an Oto Academy student. Naruto had caught sight of his homework, too, levels above Naruto's own, though they seemed to be the same year in their respective schools. Naruto might not have been the brightest around, but he wasn't a complete failure, especially once he had started working here. But Uchiha seemed to be so high above Naruto's head would spin just looking at the questions Uchiha answered quickly and efficiently, filling out with an even pace in elegant, neatly spaced kanji.

Really, if Naruto had to say, the only area in which Uchiha lacked was his attitude. He couldn't say what had made Uchiha into such a cold bastard, but he supposed someone perfect couldn't very well exist, so Uchiha had to have a fault somewhere. It just turned out to be that he was the definition of 'asshole'.

But even then, Naruto found himself drawn to Uchiha. So he wondered, was it really a crush? Well, Naruto supposed, someone incredible like Uchiha would be someone even another guy would be attracted to.

He remembered a thought he had previously had, a picture of a slim, pretty male in the Oto Academy uniform tugging at Uchiha's sleeve, face flushed as he tried to entice Uchiha into the love hotel with him. Uchiha probably did have male admirers, and somehow, it seemed Naruto had become one of them.

"There's really nothing wrong with it," Haku nii-san said again, voice still gentle. "It happens. Probably more than you think. I hear it's quite common in all-male schools."

Naruto nodded. That would make some sense, but neither Naruto nor Uchiha attended all male schools.

"And if Ucihiha-kun is really so attractive as you say, Naruto-kun, then I wouldn't be surprised if he had quite a few male admirers." Haku had seemingly read Naruto's thoughts, and he jumped, turning startled blue eyes at Haku, whose smile only grew larger. "I'll bet if you asked him, he'd confirm it."

Naruto nodded. Would Uchiha confirm it? Even if it was true, would he admit it? Would he even be aware, or would his male admirers remain silent about it?

And Naruto wondered, what would Uchiha think about having male admirers? He didn't seem to care for his female admirers, but that didn't mean he'd like the male ones any better.

Naruto sighed, feeling really drained all of a sudden.

Haku reached over and patted his head. "It's nothing to worry too much about. Crushes come and go. No matter how strong and true the feelings may be in the moment, they eventually fade away. It's the real feelings that linger."

Naruto nodded. This was all too much, too deep to contemplate so late at night.

Haku's warm smile returned. Again he seemed to read Naruto's thoughts, and he spoke, "It's late. Naruto-kun has school tomorrow. You should head to bed, no?"

Naruto grinned. "You really are a mind-reader, Haku-nii." He laughed, Haku's light laugh joining in. "Right! I'm going to bed then." Naruto stood, pushing the chair in under the desk, and waved as he made his way into the back bedroom.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto-kun," Haku smiled, and Naruto flushed.

It would be a little while longer before he managed to fall asleep, his thoughts still filled with Uchiha Sasuke.


	7. seven

So, I think I've been a bit misunderstood? lol. It's true I have no idea what the goal/point of this story is, but I do have some ideas of stuff I want to happen (assuming the characters will cooperate, which frankly, they never do *facepal*). And I'm not at a stopping point just yet. Assuming I keep up a new 'chapter' at each page break I already have within the story (I write this in one word doc and have been separating as I upload), I have about sixish more to go? At least two are super short though, so I may or may not combine them. We'll see.

Really, it's just that the last couple of sections are giving me a hard time, partly because I need to reorganize them, and just haven't taken them to work with me to do so.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify :)

I'm really tired, so I didn't feel like rereading this one. Probably the longest to date. Sorry for any typos and whatnot.

...I kinda wonder if this happened too fast. But then, like I said, the characters rarely cooperate. *shrug*

* * *

hmm, chapter seven-ish

Weekends were the worst. There was more traffic outside to monitor on the cameras, and less other stuff he could use to distract himself. With so much going on outside, he actually was expected to _pay attention_.

He grumbled at his bad luck, his eyes still fixed on the monitors before him.

There really were an insane number of people out there, continually passing the cameras his eyes were focused on. And because it was the weekend, there was no reason to expect Uchiha to show up.

Not that Naruto was really prepared for him.

Despite all of the thinking and considering, even in those continued moments of sitting next to the handsome Oto student, Naruto's befuddled thoughts refused to clear.

He was beginning to think, maybe, that Haku nii-san really was right, and Naruto had developed a bit of a crush on Uchiha. But what to do from there, well… After all, liking Haruno Sakura, a girl, had never gone anywhere. What chance did he really have liking a guy, and especially one as popular and picky as Uchiha?

Naruto sighed, glaring at the people passing the screens in front of him. He knew it wasn't their fault he was currently miserable, knew they had nothing to do with his current dilemma. But still, glaring helped to ease his own confused feelings.

Movement from one of the screens caught his eye, and he watched as Haku nii-san made his way toward the hedge. He was alone this time, and Naruto frowned at the screen as the pretty young man disappeared along the path. Was he going to the café or park, and not the hotel this time? Both were destinations for a weekend, but Naruto couldn't help but watch on in confusion.

He kept his eyes open, even several long minutes after Haku nii-san had disappeared. Then he saw it. The big, burly man Naruto had seen before, making his way toward that hedge as well.

What was the reason for that? Naruto wondered. Were they not going into the hotel this time? Were they going to have a proper date in the café or the park? But wouldn't that be weird?

Naruto leaned back and crossed his arms, blue eyes glaring at the ceiling as he thought. He didn't think Haku nii-san was especially embarrassed about his relationship. If anything, Naruto thought he was really quite happy about it. There were frequent days Haku would show up to work positively glowing, and it always gave Naruto that impression, and he'd find himself thinking, 'Ah, Haku nii-san was with his lover today.'

Blue eyes moved back to the monitor the burly man had crossed.

If, just if, Naruto, in some fantasy world where impossible things came true and Uchiha not only learned of but returned Naruto's feelings and they became lovers, would Naruto become that happy? Would he, like Haku nii-san, glow at the thought of his lover, or after spending time with him?

He wondered, what was it really like? How did it feel to be in love? To be in love, and to be loved in return?

"They say it's lover and beloved," Haku had said, just a day or two after that first conversation of Naruto's potential Uchiha crush.

"Lover and beloved?"

Haku had smiled his usual soft, warm smile. "That's right. Lover and beloved. In my case, I'm the 'beloved', but that doesn't mean it's take and no give."

"Then what does that mean?"

"Ah, well," Haku flushed, and Naruto couldn't help but think again that Haku nii-san was really pretty. "That might be a bit too high level for you right now, Naruto-kun," Haku laughed.

"Eh?" Naruto's head tilted in his usual confused manner, his blond brows scrunching.

Picturing Haku nii-san's laughing face, seeing again his pretty features, Naruto had to wonder, why was it he had never been attracted to Haku nii-san? He really was pretty, prettier than Haruno Sakura, but Naruto had never looked at him as anything but an older brother figure. If Naruto really did have an inclination for liking men, why not Haku? Why only Uchiha?

Was it really just Uchiha? Because really, Naruto had never looked at a guy before and thought 'He's hot, I totally wanna screw with him.'

Naruto flushed at the thought and let his forehead hit a little too hard against the desk. No, he'd definitely _never_ thought that before.

But if there was a 'before', did that mean he'd had that thought now?

He thought again of Uchiha, pictured the handsome teen sitting next to him, pictured him in one of those fancy themed rooms, and Naruto shivered.

It wasn't a disgusted shiver, it was an excited shiver.

And he realized, damn, he really did think 'I totally wanna screw with him.'

His cheeks warm, he closed his eyes, and let himself envision it again. Him and Uchiha, alone in one of those rooms. It was a little weird, he had a hard time imagining Uchiha in a themed room filled with pink and streamers and a heart-shaped bed. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought. He could imagine Uchiha standing in there, with a tick in his eye just looking at the décor. He'd be thinking 'you can't be serious if you expect me to do anything in here.'

He couldn't help but giggle.

Then he changed the scenery. There were normal rooms in the love hotel, too. So he pictured one of those. Imagined Uchiha in the room with him, on the bed. He swallowed thickly, feeling the tightness growing in his pants.

Uchiha's dark eyes were focused on him, and Naruto could feel himself melting into their darkness. Uchiha drew in closer, and Naruto shivered, his pants tightening further.

Then a knock rang at the door, and he stood abruptly, panting slightly and flushed. The vision now fading away, Naruto's cheeks grew even warmer as another thought suddenly struck him.

In his fantasy, Uchiha was on top of him.

He was so embarrassed by it all he couldn't breathe. What the hell did that mean? Uchiha on top of him? Did that mean Naruto wanted to be taken? Like a girl?

But Naruto wasn't a girl!

But then, neither was Uchiha. If anything were to happen, one of them would have to play the girl part.

Maybe, Naruto wondered then, that's what Haku nii-san had meant when he said 'lover and beloved'? If that identified roles and Haku was the 'beloved', maybe… maybe that was why Naruto had never been attracted to Haku nii-san that way. They were both in the same 'role'. Naruto didn't want a 'beloved', he wanted a 'lover'.

He slapped his hands on his cheeks, trying to banish the weird, maybe even downright disturbing thoughts. Because he seriously had no idea what to do with those right now.

The knocking rang out again, and Naruto frowned at the door.

What was that about? He glanced at the clock, noting there was still plenty of time until the next shift change. It would be Lee-sempai tonight. Those were always weird shift-changes, though. Lee-sempai wasn't someone Naruto would normally think would take a job like this, but he considered having a job with a little 'danger', as he so put it, as the 'ultimate fulfillment of youth'.

Frankly, Naruto didn't get it, but it was rare that he actually understood anything Lee-sempai talked about.

Still, it was way too early.

The knocking rang out again, and finally Naruto glanced att he monitors, searching for the one that displayed the other side of that door.

His eyes went wide.

Another irritated knock, and he finally moved from where he stood to open the door. He pushed it open, his eyes going to the scowling face of Uchiha Sasuke.

He could feel his cheeks explode in heat, considering Uchiha's knocking had broken him out of a fantasy of doing unmentionable things with him.

"U-Uchi-ha," Naruto stuttered.

"Idiot. What were you doing, sleeping? Let me in already."

Without waiting for a response, Uchiha pushed his way in, coming way too close to Naruto for comfort.

"Wha-" Naruto's mouth was hanging open, and he was finding it especially difficult to get coherent words to come out.

"You really shouldn't be sleeping when you're supposed to be working."

"I-ah." Naruto swallowed thickly, then shook his head to get his brain back into focus. "I wasn't sleeping. And how did you know I'd even be working anyway?"

Uchiha pulled his usual chair out and sat, looking back incredulously at the blond. "Don't you work every day?"

Naruto pouted. "I don't!" His brows knitted together, and he went over his schedule in his mind, trying to reveal a day just to prove his point. But the more he thought about it, a disturbing thought began to form.

"Ah! Damn that Ero-Sennin! How the hell did I end up working this crappy job every day?" He was ready to breathe fire in anger. "Exploitation! It's exploitation! He's exploiting his poor, innocent grandson!"

"Tch, idiot. Just now figuring that out? It was obvious from the beginning you don't get days off. So I figured you'd be here."

Naruto was ready to wring the old pervert's neck, could almost imagine the damn old geezer laughing his head off at how easy his pure, dependent, guileless grandson had been deceived into working endlessly.

"He better watch out the next time he stays over here. He's gonna regret it," Naruto continued to grumble. "I'm gonna make him pay for this."

"You get paid, don't you?"

"That's not the point! It's the principle behind it!"

"Uh-huh."

Naruto continued to pout as he made his way back to his own chair. "What are you doing here anyway? Just because I gotta be here doesn't mean you have to suffer, too."

"Hn, and I wouldn't, normally. I just needed to get away, and this seemed the best option."

"Get away from what?" Naruto plopped back into his chair, his eyes going back to the screens. He had been neglecting them too much today. His cheeks flushed again at the reminder of what he had been thinking about, and was relieved that his erection had gone down from the irritation at his grandfather.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like it should be a problem if I'm here."

Naruto scowled at him, then turned back to the screens.

His eyes scanned the hedge, and he couldn't help but wonder again where Haku nii-san and his lover had gone. Had they gone into the café or park, or had they gone into the love hotel, into a room where they would now be doing those kinds of things together. Things he had never really thought about before.

But now, the thoughts stole through his mind. He pictured Haku nii-san's pretty face flush with passion as his lover did things to him. Unspeakable things. Things Naruto suddenly found himself really curious about. Naruto swallowed thickly, flushing at the thought.

He glanced to his side and startled. Uchiha was looking at him, his gaze focused and penetrating, and Naruto's flush intensified as he quickly turned back to the monitors, clearing his throat as he turned his attention back to his job.

"What were you just thinking about?" Uchiha asked.

Naruto bit his lip. He didn't want to answer that, but he could still feel Uchiha's steady gaze on him. It was an intense stare, and it held him tight. It wasn't one he'd be able to free himself from. He knew. Only by answering could he escape it.

He cleared his throat again, trying his hardest not to look at Uchiha. "Um, I saw Haku nii-san… and I was just thinking… he might have gone into the love hotel."

Uchiha shifted, turning his attention fully on Naruto. "Who's Haku nii-san? What makes you say that?"

Naruto couldn't help but glance at Uchiha, then shifted again to focus on the monitors, trying to distance himself from Uchiha's prying gaze. "Haku nii-san works most late night to early morning shifts. He comes in late, after you leave."

"Hn, is that so. And? Why do you think he went into the love hotel?"

Naruto fidgeted. "'Cause I've seen him before."

"I thought you couldn't tell who goes in." Uchiha glanced at the monitors.

"You can't. It's just speculation. Workers can use the rooms for free, part of their so-called 'perks'."

"So you can use it free, too?"

"Not like there's anyone who'd go into a room with me," Naruto replied, fighting down the flush.

Uchiha nodded, and Naruto deflated a bit. "So you only think he went in? Is he popular with girls?"

"With girls?" Naruto laughed. "Nope. Girls don't tend to like him. He…" Naruto paused, bit his lip. "Haku nii-san… has a lover. An… older man."

Uchiha's eyes were drilling into him again, and Naruto felt himself sinking into himself. "I've… seen them before."

"Hn."

They were silent a long moment, before Uchiha spoke again. "Does that bother you? That he has a male lover?"

"What? No, of course not!" Naruto was a little louder than he had planned to be, and he settled back into himself again. "I mean, I'm happy for him. Haku nii-san, he really seems to love the guy. He's always, really happy, glowing, after they've been together. So I'm glad. I'm happy that he's so happy."

"Hn, that so."

Naruto fidgeted some more, the conversation resurfacing from a few days ago. He glanced at Uchiha, who had turned to the screens, his relentless gaze no longer oppressing the blond. "Does… Does that bother you?" Naruto asked.

"What?"

Naruto flushed, irked that Uchiha, super-smart, bastard Uchiha was making him spell out something obvious. "Two guys… in a relationship," he mumbled.

"I don't really care one way or another. Their relationship has nothing to do with me."

Naruto frowned. That didn't really answer the question. Well, he supposed it did, but not in the way Naruto had hoped. That answer didn't tell him anything about what Uchiha really thought about it, if it should apply to him. "I guess… someone popular like you… I wonder if you have any…"

"Any what?"

Naruto glared at him. Screw all the tiptoeing. If he was intent on being a bastard, then Naruto was gonna be so obvious it was gonna make the jerk embarrassed! "Any guys that want you to screw them."

Uchiha turned his dark eyes back to the blond, a genuinely surprised expression on his face. Naruto smirked. Finally, a good expression from the cold bastard!

Then the jerk's lips turned up on one side, and he was openly smirking. "Want _me_ to screw _them_? Not want to screw me?"

"Eh?" Naruto's face flooded with heat at the slip up, and at Uchiha's taunting look.

"Then you at least realize correct position. Anyone I sleep with would have to submit to me."

"Wha- You really are a bastard."

Uchiha's smirk didn't fade. "There are. Quite a few, actually."

"Eh?" Naruto's breath caught. So Uchiha was aware of them, they really existed, and he wasn't caught off guard at all. He sounded rather nonchalant about it. "O-oh."

A few, he'd said. There were a few that wanted Uchiha. Naruto really wasn't the only one.

Naruto turned back to the screens, biting his lip as he felt overcome by… by what? What was this feeling? It's wasn't jealousy, it was… just…

Sorta painful.

Uchiha shifted in his chair. "I'm not particularly opposed. Again, I don't really care one way or another. Girls or guys, I don't care who likes me. I'm just not interested either way."

Naruto glanced at him. "Either way?"

Uchiha shrugged. "I'm picky, no matter the gender. If I found someone who met my standards, I don't think I'd care what gender that person turned out to be."

"A-Ah," Naruto replied. He shifted in his chair. "Haku nii-san said something sorta similar. That love doesn't follow those kinds of boundaries."

Uchiha glanced at him. "Hn, what? Are you in love with him or something?"

"With Haku-nii?" Naruto laughed. "No. He's super pretty, but he says he's a 'beloved'. I would rather be a 'beloved', too."

Uchiha stiffened, and Naruto blinked at him, the gears in his blond head slowly turning, his face slowly heating up as something painfully slowly clicked into place.

What had he just said? Did he… just admit… to _Uchiha_… he wanted to be on the receiving end?

His eyes went wide, and his face exploded in heat. Uchiha's dark, penetrating gaze was fixed on him again, and he jumped up, his brain rushing to find something, anything, to get out of this. "I, uh, bathroom! Gotta take a dump. Too much ramen!"

He scurried his way over to the back bedroom and the bathroom, ready to lock himself in and just… _cry_ in frustration with how incredibly stupid he was. He was sure, after this, even if he hadn't actually admitted to wanting Uchiha to be the one to screw him, that he'd never be able to face Uchiha again.

He'd almost made it to the bathroom door, when Uchiha's hand slammed against the doorframe, blocking Naruto from being able to take another step. Uchiha's other hand shot out and pulled Naruto around, and suddenly

Suddenly their lips were locked, and Naruto was shoved back against the door he had just tried to escape behind.

Eh? Eh?

Ehhhhhhh?

Naruto's brain completely shut down as Uchiha's lips continued to press determinedly against his own, and he slowly came to the realization he was running out of air. If there was one thing he knew, he knew he needed air. As dim as his brain was, lack of air would only make it worse.

He tried to pull away, but Uchiha followed, and Naruto gasped when he felt Uchiha's hard body press firmly against his own.

Well, at least he'd managed to get a little air in, but then those lips were on him again, and a wet tongue slipped in between his lips, taking advantage of the quick parting, blocking the ability to breathe in any additional air.

Uchiha pressed in again, and Naruto moaned. There was some delicious rubbing happening between his legs, and he flushed as his earlier fantasy came back, where Uchiha was above him, pushing him down against a bed.

He really needed air, but he didn't want this to end either. He reached up, wrapped his arms around Uchiha's neck, and somehow in all the fuddle, he realized he could breathe through his nose. He took a deep breath, and Uchiha pushed in closer again, their tongues rubbing against each other as feverishly as their bodies were.

Now that he was getting air, filled with Uchiha's heady scent no less, he suddenly realized those strange moaning sounds were coming from Naruto's own mouth. He was suddenly feeling insanely embarrassed, and he tried to stop them.

Uchiha let out an annoyed grunt and pressed in further, rubbing especially hard against Naruto's blatant erection, and Naruto couldn't stop the moan from erupting from his mouth. He could feel Uchiha smirk at the sound, and it occurred to Naruto the bastard had done that on purpose, just to get another moan out of the blond.

_Bastard_, Naruto thought. He wanted a complete bastard as a lover. Seriously, what was wrong with him? Just because said bastard was hot?

Uchiha rubbed against him again, and suddenly something else seemed to register in Naruto's befuddled mind.

Uchiha… was just as hard as Naruto was.

Eh? What did that mean?

His eyes went wide, and he pushed, hard, against the hard body pressing in on him, finally forcing Uchiha away and letting himself properly breath.

They were both panting, and Naruto couldn't help when his gaze got caught by Uchiha licking his lips. Naruto swallowed thickly, suddenly realizing his own lips tasted like Uchiha.

He flushed and looked down, then away after having caught sight of his embarrassing erection.

"Well," Uchiha smirked. "Still need to go to the bathroom? Maybe for something different now?"

"Eh?" Naruto flushed, then turned an irritated scowl on Uchiha. "You-"

And Uchiha was closing the distance again. This time it seemed to be happening in slow motion, a predatory look in those dark eyes, and Naruto's panicked brain latched onto something.

"Work!" Uchiha stopped, a frown tracing his features. "I really, really, really need to get back to work."

"Now?" Uchiha grumbled.

Naruto nodded. "Now. Right now."

He managed to get his legs, his wobbly, traitorous legs, to move, and he stumbled his way back to the chair. He turned his gaze back on the monitors, trying his best to pretend Uchiha wasn't still there, that they hadn't had an intense make-out session, that Uchiha was hard and so was Naruto, and if it had gone on any longer, they'd probably be on the floor in the bedroom, Uchiha screwing Naruto's brains out.

He bit his swollen lip, his body screaming at him. _Stupid! Get back in there and let Uchiha screw your brains out! What the hell is wrong with you? You want him, don't you?_

Badly, he answered himself. So badly, he was suddenly terrified. What happens then? If they really did it, what would happen after? Would they become lovers? Probably not. That would be asking for too much, wouldn't it?

He was trembling, even as he focused back on the monitors. He wanted Uchiha, but he still wasn't sure, wasn't confident Uchiha really wanted him back. Lust was one thing, but that wasn't what Naruto wanted. He didn't want to just screw for the sake of screwing.

Naruto wanted love. He wanted to look like Haku nii-san did, glowing after being with that person that meant everything to him. What he felt for Uchiha, was that love? Or was it just lust? If they let it pass, would it fade away? Would it fade away as soon as they'd had sex?

Naruto didn't know, and he didn't really want to find out.

And besides, he really did have a job to do. If he let himself get carried away, focused on Uchiha instead of the cameras and someone really did do something that compromised the hotel or one of their customers, Naruto would suffer for it. As much as Ero-Sennin was exploiting him, he was able to because Jiraiya trusted that Naruto would do the job.

Naruto took a deep breath. He couldn't let his grandfather down. Especially not to indulge in teenage lust.

Though, if he thought about that a little more, so long as nothing happened while Naruto was distracted, his grandfather would probably be really proud that he'd indulged a little.

Well, if it was a girl, at least. But another guy?

"Naruto."

Naruto jumped. He glanced at Uchiha, who was still standing. "Uh, yeah?"

Uchiha looked away. "I'm going."

"Eh? Ah, but, you haven't been here very long."

"I'm going," he said again.

Naruto nodded, and Uchiha turned and made his way out, the door shutting soundly behind him.


	8. eight

So, I'm sick apparently.

Lol, every time things start to look okay, shit happens again. So much for my day off *cries*

Okay, I'm going to bed now.

* * *

chapter eight apparently

Naruto didn't know what to do now. He wasn't really sure why Uchiha had gone after him like that. There was no way Naruto met Uchiha Sasuke's high standards. So why?

He sighed, glancing at the clock. It was late in the week, and Uchiha hadn't been back since that day. Naruto supposed pushing Uchiha away had angered him. Maybe now, he didn't intend to come back.

Naruto pursed his lips, his heart clenching. That thought hurt.

When, he wondered. When did Uchiha become such an important existence to him? When had Uchiha settled so firmly in Naruto's heart?

He wanted to see him. He wanted so badly to sit next to Uchiha again, to reach out to him. If Uchiha reached for him back, would Naruto be okay giving in?

Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the monitors. He was looking, but he wasn't seeing anything. Uchiha hadn't passed under the cameras recently either. No trace of him, anywhere. He had completely disappeared from Naruto's life.

Again, it hurt. His heart hurt.

He leaned over, drawing random figures on the desk with a finger. He hadn't touched his homework. He wasn't in the mood. His brain was too full of Uchiha and regret, to have any room for math formulas or English phrases.

There was a knock on the door, and he jumped, turning to look at the door so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. Could it be Uchiha? Was that too much to hope for?

He bit his lip, and stood. No, it wouldn't be. After all, if Uchiha planned to come here, he'd come earlier so no girls, admirers, would follow, and Naruto had been watching the cameras. He would have seen.

Remembering the monitors, he looked at them again. He always forgot about that one, since there was never any activity outside of it. The one that had full view of the other side of the door, where whoever had just knocked would be in full view.

He stared. For a long moment, he stood there staring.

Uchiha was standing there.

Sasuke had come back.

He felt his eyes get a little misty, then moved to open the door.

For a moment, they stood there, one on each side of the threshold.

"Um," Naruto began.

Uchiha didn't say anything, and words failed Naruto after that. Uchiha sighed. "Are you going to get out of the way so I can come in, or not?"

"Eh? Ah, right. Sorry." Naruto moved, heading back to his chair, pulling out the seemingly long vacant chair for Uchiha.

The other teen sat, dropping his bag on the floor beside Naruto's.

Naruto was happy. So suddenly overwhelmingly happy he thought he'd cry. Uchiha came back. Even after being pushed away, he'd come back.

But Naruto had to reign himself in. Just because he had come back didn't mean they'd pick up where they left off. If anything, Naruto would probably have to expect things to go back to how they had been before. Quiet, detached. Each doing homework while Naruto occasionally glanced at the monitors.

Not even friends, really. Definitely not lovers.

Naruto took a deep breath, then reached for his homework, finally starting on the assignments he hadn't felt like doing earlier, his eyes occasionally scanning the monitors, trying not to look at Uchiha Sasuke sitting next to him.

After an indeterminable amount of time, time was hard to get a handle on these days, Uchiha reached forward, flicking a switch on the board above the lined up and stacked monitors.

Naruto blinked at him. "What did you just do?" Naruto had never messed with those before, since he didn't know if he'd break something.

Uchiha turned a smirk to the blond. "They record."

"Huh?" Naruto's head tilted in confusion.

Uchiha indicated the now flashing red light by the switch. "Normally, nothing worth notice happens, right? And if someone suspicious is hanging around, it's obvious, right? Because they stand out. So, it makes sense to think, if you're going through a recording, they should be even more obvious."

"Uh…" Naruto thought about it. It did make sense, but he wasn't really sure what Uchiha was getting at.

"Which means, idiot, you don't need to sit here staring at the monitors."

"But that's my job."

Uchiha rubbed at his head. "But you don't need to be so fucking diligent."

"But that's my job."

Naruto could see a popping vein develop as Uchiha's brow twitched.

"If something happens and I'm not actively watching, but only check the monitor later, I'll miss it."

"Hn, so you're not a complete moron. Well, that's true, so we'll have to use it sparingly."

Naruto blinked at him, still not quite getting where Uchiha was going with this.

"You really are dense."

Naruto scowled. "And you're a jerk. Explain properly, and maybe I'll understand!"

"Maybe?" Uchiha smirked.

Naruto glared. "Bastard!"

Uchiha's lips cut him off, and Naruto's heart jumped into his throat. A hand went up, clutching Uchiha's Oto jacket as their lips moved against each other. Uchiha leaned over him, pushing Naruto into his chair, trapping him between the seat and Uchiha's hard body.

And just as suddenly as he'd appeared, Uchiha pulled back. Again, both were panting, though not as much as before. Uchiha's dark eyes were fixed on Naruto's blue, and Naruto couldn't help searching them for the answers to his many questions.

Being apart for all these days, Naruto couldn't believe how lonely he'd felt. Even though they hadn't spoken much, even though he spent every day surrounded by his friends at school, being away from Uchiha had been painful.

And he really wondered, could this be love?

"Naruto," Uchiha murmured.

Naruto gasped, suddenly realizing Uchiha had started using Naruto's name. And Naruto wondered, could he do the same?

"S-Sasuke," he murmured.

And it was incredible, the way those dark eyes softened.

And Naruto had his answer. Yes, this had to be love.

Uchiha leaned in again, their lips meeting in a more gentle kiss. Again he pulled away, this time settling back into his seat, flicking the switch again.

"Better do your job, moron."

Naruto frowned, but it quickly turned into a smile. "Jerk."


	9. nine

Sorry I missed last week, I got home late and immediately fell asleep.

This one is super really short, so sorry about that also. This week was one of those weeks, and I'm just glad it's over.

* * *

chapter nine already?

"Hm, did something good happen?" Haku nii-san asked.

"What?" Naruto had been gathering his things together, ready to head to the bedroom. He glanced at Haku, who was smiling gently at him.

"You look happy. The past few days, you've looked awful. I was worried. Temari-san and Kankurou-san were worried, too."

Naruto blinked at him, flushing slightly. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry everyone."

Haku laughed. "Even Lee-san noted something was off about you. You know something must be wrong when even he can see it."

Naruto scowled. That was true. He really must have been a bigger wreck than even he realized. "S-Sorry."

"But everything's okay now?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile. "Un. Everything's great now!"

Haku's eyes went wide, and his smile grew. "I'm glad."

Haku glanced at the screens, then turned back to Naruto. "Then everything's going well with Uchiha-kun."

"Eh?" Naruto dropped his things, staring with big blue eyes at Haku.

Again Haku laughed. "You really are very obvious, Naruto-kun."

Naruto flushed. He really must be. Haku nii-san had seen completely through him. He considered a moment, then made his way to the chair which had hours ago been occupied with the Uchiha who so frequently filled Naruto's thoughts.

"Um, Haku-nii," Naruto began.

"Hm?"

"Um, before… you mentioned something about 'lover and beloved'. I was wondering, the 'higher-level' stuff. What was it?"

"Hm?" Haku blinked at him. "Ah, you mean the, ah, about me being in the 'beloved' role?"

Naruto nodded.

"Why do you want to know now?"

Naruto glanced at him nervously. "Well, because I… think I'm in the 'beloved' role, too… I think."

Haku took a moment to take that in. "N-Naruto-kun, you… already…"

"Eh? Ah, no! Not, not… yet." He flushed, and Haku looked away, a slight flush to his features as well.

"Mm. The 'beloved' role is the, ah, receiving role. The, ah, girl role, shall we say. Is that… what you mean?"

Naruto nodded, his gaze fixed on his hands in his lap.

Haku nodded as well. "There's nothing wrong with that. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. I think, anyone who can be in that role with someone they love, is a very happy person."

Naruto looked up into Haku nii-san's warm smile, and he returned it. Haku nii-san always looked so happy and glowing after being with Zabuza. Naruto hoped, right now, Naruto was just as glowing after being with Sasuke.


End file.
